bipolarskizo

Note: if you re-stack your forge so it's about 1/2 as wide and has the same charcoal piled deeper it will work better. All that charcoal to the sides of your working area is just wasting fuel and throwing heat on you. Charcoal forges are often "trench" shaped to make best use of the fuel.

When I need to make my own charcoal as I go along I like to have a separate fire to keep the heat and smoke away from *me* and then just rake coals onto a shovel and dump them in the forge as I need them.

You have already noticed that a vacuum puts out way more air than you need and have probably figured a way to cut it down a *lot*. Even blowing a 3' long trench forge my shop vac was set up to waste most of the air by having the end about 6" away from the tue pipe and then adjusting it so they were *NOT* aligned for fine control.

In general I do not advise folks to admit to crimes on the net or suggest that others do likewise; however those "J" shaped steel rail clips are *MUCH* better steel than RR spikes and are actually a fair grade to make knives from where RR spikes are a poor grade for that purpose. Sure are hard under the hammer too!

BTW, I agree; nice start. I'm not a knife maker, but I enjoy seeing a well made blade and I like when folks forge the spike head down rather than leave it full. Makes for a prettier finished look.
Scott

Great to see you are off and running! Good luck.

Not to damper your spirits, but,,,, the rr spikes were not abandoned as we would like to believe. They are still on RR property and some places and RR's take a very, very dim view of you (us)removing their spikes. That is how I aquired mine (ssssshhhh) but I have been told that some people have been confronted by the RR police or their equivalent. There is a fine.

But really glad you are started. Remember, it's an addiction. But a great one.

Mark<><

apologies for the massive pic. I can't seem to resize it with my bare bones editing software

didn't get it hot enough the first 3 or so heats, but i got the hang of it right before i ran out of charcoal briquettes. Probably a good thing since the sulfur was getting to me .

@ Bentiron: I'm using a mongo trailer hitch standing on it's end. polished it up a little. I'm hitting with a 3lb drilling hammer, and i'm liking the weight so far.

@ Phil: I'm thinking i might as well spend my next day off cobbing together a charcoal retort (grammar?) and making my own. I work as an arborist and have access to more hardwood chips than I could ever use. But i do have a Lowes nearby in case i can't scrounge the metal drums...

After months of lurking, i finally got off my butt and started beating some hot metal. I can't call it smithing yet, but in another week or so i should be able to hit it square and not have it fall on my foot.

I started out taking a saunter along the tracks looking for some poor lost spikes. Only made it a third of a mile or so before i had to turn back due to the 35lb of iron i adopted. Poor things, being abandoned by the rail company

I got back and built a box out of firebricks from an uncle's old pottery kiln, piled it full of charcoal, and plugged in the shop vac.



I see now why everyone says to use lump charcoal. I don't know what they put in this cr*p, but after every heat, i spent 10 seconds scraping off slag. not scale, slag. It cooled off and glued my firebricks together, and i broke a couple trying to chip it off. Any idea what this stuff might be?

I gave up on finishing my spike knife for today. It's on hold until i can get/make some decent charcoal and forge myself some tongs with reigns a bit longer than the 6" channel lock pliers i used. Just because i can't feel my fingers doesn't mean i should abuse them more than I already do.

Try to contact Shelburne Museum, if you're in the chittenden county area. If you're in Southern VT, i know there is a smith in Woodstock/Queechee. You're not likely to find anything in the way of professional education, but I'm sure there's someone in the state willing to pay for your labor with knowledge and experience.